First Impressions and Other Little Shop Stories
by S. Snowflake
Summary: Ten Little Shop short stories and quickwrites. Some are based on the movie's theatrical cut, some are based on the dark stage show, and some are interchangeable for universes. SeymourXAudrey along with an original character in some stories. Jump in and read any chapter that sounds interesting because nothing's chronological!
1. First Impressions

_Author's Note/ Disclaimer:__ Since I write a lot about **Little Shop of Horrors**, I decided awhile ago to make a collection of one shots and drabbles. These first ten short works may come from either the musical play or film versions of "Little Shop of Horrors" (I'll let the reader figure the version out for themselves), and may be from anywhere in the characters' time lines, as long as they're canonical. Lastly, I don't own Seymour, Audrey, Audrey II or any Little Shop canon characters._ Thank you, and enjoy these shorts!

*S. Snowflake

_

* * *

_

_**First Impressions **_

_A short prequel fiction to "Little Shop of Horrors"_

_by Laura L._

It was a late autumn day on Skid Row. As usual, only bums and commuters passed this way, so nobody saw the small flower shop named Mushnik's Skid Row Florists, and therefore nobody inside that little shop was expecting anyone to visit or buy flowers. The sole worker, Seymour Krelborn, was busy tending to some near-dead plants on the back shelf. His eyes fixed on their leaves from behind his large black glasses, his brown hair was tangled from the long day of working almost nonstop, and his non-flattering sweater vest was covered in dried potting soil from spilling potting soil. He miserably misted the plants one by one while his boss spent his time in the back room grumbling about the lack of customers.

"There hasn't been a customer for three days!" Mr. Mushnik, the boss, blared. "One of these days I ought a just close this dump down."

Seymour shook his head. All his life he had heard his boss complain like that. Sometimes he wondered why he stuck around when he was barely paid enough to buy himself food, but then, he knew the answer. He felt that he owed it to Mushnik because he had given him somewhere to call home; though he had never really felt content in the shop. It was as if there was something missing in his life.

Caught in his train of thought, Seymour didn't hear the shop doorbells softly ring, or the quiet footsteps of a young woman behind him. The woman had blonde hair, was very thin and fair skinned, and wore a black dress and high heeled shoes that lightly clicked the linoleum as she stepped inside. She seemed rather confused and nervous in her surroundings, and spoke not a word as she approached the man working at the shelves behind the counter. At last, when she was about six feet away from him, the girl spoke.

"Excuse me, sir."

Seymour was startled by her voice and turned around abruptly, causing three plants to hit the floor shattering their pots into pieces.

"Oh my!" the visitor yelped in a high-pitched, squeaky voice. "Are you okay?"

Seymour clambered to pick up the shards of glass and keep a straight face at the same time. "I-I'm okay," he stuttered. "Welcome to Mushnik's!" he said genially once he had reclaimed the pottery pieces from the floor. "What can I do for you today?" He thought carefully about what she might have needed to purchase by looking at her. _She's wearing black, so she could be heading to a funeral, or maybe she just needs something for a relative._ Ya need a bouquet or an arrangement?" he asked, not wanting to generalize.

"Actually," she said sheepishly. "I'm here for a job. Is the job advertised in the window still available?"

Seymour was, needless to say, surprised. _She wants to work __**here**__? _he thought. "I think so, but you'll have to ask…"

"KRELBORN!" Mr. Mushnik screamed as he came through the back room door, his round face livid with anger. "I heard a crash, did you break something again?" His eyes happened to catch the girl's gaze for a moment and he immediately changed his tone to that of a salesman. "And who's _this_ lovely customer?" he asked her with a sweet smile.

"She's lookin' for a job sir," Seymour answered.

"Is that so?" Mushnik asked her charmingly.

"Yes sir," she replied. "I need a new job real bad."

"Well first let me ask, do you have any floral experience?" he inquired.

"Well no." the girl answered sullenly. "But I used to pick flowers for my mama when I was little, and I did take half a plant science class."_ Before I dropped out of school… _she thought, then continued. "And I can learn sir; I'll do whatever it takes for this job!"

"Good enough for me." Mr. Mushnik said shaking her hand. "You're hired miss, err…"

"Fulquard, Audrey Fulquard," she replied simply.

"Well congrats Miss Fulquard, you'll be our new arrangement consultant. Krelborn over here will teach you all he knows starting tomorrow," he said, gesturing to Seymour. Then he turned to the back room laughing under his breath, "A miracle, I've had that sign up for two years! Ha, ha!"

Audrey turned to Seymour who had now returned to his duties, determinedly misting the sickly plants. She smiled in admiration of his sheer dedication to his job, even though he did not seem to be very good at it, and then interrupted him. "I guess we should get acquainted too, don't ya think?" she asked.

Seymour slowly turned and faced her. "I guess so, now that you and me will be workin' together Miss Fulquard," he answered shyly.

"Oh please," she said sweetly. "Just call me Audrey, um…what was your name again?"

"Seymour Krelborn," he replied looking at her for really the first time and stuttering. "B-but not the second part, just Seymour."

For some reason that she could not tell, Audrey blushed a little when Seymour said that. "Well, I'll see ya tomorrow Seymour," she said before quietly turning to the door.

"Goodbye, Audrey," Seymour called as Audrey left the shop with a smile. What an amazing thing it was that such a beautiful creature like her had not only stepped into his life for one second, but now was going to come back everyday and work with him. He watched her walk down the street until she was of his sight, and found himself happy in a profound way that she had come to the shop at all.

"I'm telling' you Krelborn, _that _was a miracle," Mr. Mushnik called from the back room. "Nobody wants a job here and nobody comes here. A miracle I tell ya!"

"Must be some kind of miracle, sir," Seymour replied and then whispered to himself, "Because she's an angel."

**THE END.**


	2. The Simplest Present

_Author's Note: I thought of this short story while I was on vacation during the summer of 2008. I was starting to get into the character of Seymour and his sweet innocence, and began to think about how his desire to have attention and affection would lead to a little story of his own. The final version was relocated to this collection from being one of my independent shorts. Editing credit goes to my friend, DrumMajorPheonix who pointed out some plot and editing mistakes. Thank you, and enjoy!_

_*S. Snowflake_

* * *

_**The Simplest Present**_

_A Little Shop of Horrors midquel_

_by Laura L._

It had been a long night for poor Seymour Krelborn. His blood-eating plant, which he had named Audrey II, had been feeding from his fingertips all night long. He could barely get out of bed for work that October 23rd from fatigue and loss of blood, but when his alarm clock went off loudly, he staggered to the other side of his basement room to look at a worn out calendar hanging on the wall.

He adjusted his bulgy glasses to read something he remembered writing on it awhile ago. **October 23rd, my Birthday**, it said.

"It's my birthday?" he thought out loud, yawning. "I must've forgot. I just wonder how old I am; was it twenty three or twenty four?" He paused, looking to his exotic flytrap-like plant for emphasis. "Sure wish I knew, Twoey," he said, coming over to pet as if it were a puppy to him.

The plant started smacking its lips and making a sort of kissing sound in response to his presence, which meant that it was hungry for its favorite food again.

"Oh c'mon, I just fed ya Twoey! Give me a break for a day will ya?" he cried.

"Krelborn! You up yet?" a man's voice called from upstairs.

"Yes sir," Seymour replied to his boss Mr. Mushnik.

"Well then, get you and your little green money maker up here right now!" he yelled.

Seymour obediently prepared for work, and then grabbed the plant carefully by its pot to bring upstairs. He winced at its heavy weight, nearly dropping it at one point. The plant snickered and even tried to bite his arm, but he snapped its trap closed before it could do any damage or be noticed by anyone as he went upstairs.

Mr. Mushnik was busy setting up the shop for a small crowd of customers outside, all eager to see the now locally famous Audrey II. He frantically ran about, grabbing flowers, pots, and things of the like while muttering to himself. "There you are!" he exclaimed as Seymour came up to the main floor.

"Good morning, sir," Seymour said placing the plant in the front window. "Is Audrey here yet?"

"No, and we've got customers comin' in out a' nowhere!" he replied. "That girl's gonna' get rid of the best business we've got."

"Well, didn't she say she had a date last night?" Seymour asked. "You know what _that _means."

"Yeah, you're right about that Krelborn. She probably got tied up again," Mushnik replied shaking his head.

Audrey, Mr. Mushnik's other employee, had a sadistic boyfriend who beat her up and/or handcuffed her every time they were together. Despite numerous attempts to persuade her to find another boyfriend or simply dump him, nobody could convince her to leave the sadist. Mr. Mushnik was a bit worried about her, mainly because he was concerned for his business, but Seymour was furious that anyone would dare to hurt Audrey. She was his only real friend and he also secretly had feelings for her.

"What a creep," Seymour grumbled angrily to himself. "I'd like to give that guy a piece of my mind!" But then Seymour thought about what he had just said. _I'm too weak to take on a guy like that. Oh, poor Audrey..._ he thought, shaking the idea off for now remembering what day it happened to be. "Sir, do ya' know what day it is?" he asked Mushnik.

Mr. Mushnik was confused by his question, but tried to answer using his only logic. "Yeah, it's Wednesday. That means half price on our begonias."

"No, that's not what I meant." Seymour replied, then tried to drop the hint. "It's someone's birthday today."

"Audrey's?" Mr. Mushnik guessed, baffled by his employee.

"No, think again," Seymour said smiling.

"Let me think… the twenty third, the twenty third… I got it! You're celebrating Audrey _Two's _birthday! Ya said you found it on September twenty third, the day of the total eclipse of the sun, which was exactly one month ago. Am I right or am I right?" he stated proudly.

Seymour's heart sank. Mr. Mushnik, his closest thing to a father he'd ever known, had forgotten his birthday. "That… that's right sir."

"Good. Now let the people come in and see the birthday girl," Mushnik said. "Mushnik's is now open!"

Mr. Mushnik barely had the door open for a second before a rush of people stormed the store, all coming in for a look at the Audrey II.

"It's bigger than last week!" a woman marveled.

"Twice as big!" a man added.

"Look at those leaves, they're gorgeous!" another woman said.

Seymour tried to take their complements to heart. After all, he had raised the plant, but could not put away the sad fact that Mr. Mushnik had forgotten his birthday.

* * *

By lunchtime, the crowds were mostly gone, and so Seymour took a break to eat. Across the street from where he sat on the shop stoop were Crystal, Ronnette, and Chiffon; three other Skid Row locals and his somewhat friends. They caught sight of him and whispered to each other, smiling rather suspiciously.

"Seymour!" Chiffon called out as she ran over to him, followed closely as always by Crystal and Ronnette.

"What is it girls?" he asked as they came up to greet him.

"We just thought we would say a special hello to somebody on this special day," Ronnette said warmly.

Seymour grinned. _They remembered! _he thought. "And what kind of special day is it?" he asked, waiting for them to spill the beans.

"It's yours of course!" Crystal squealed. "You've been keepin' Mushnik's in business so well, we just thought we should congratulate ya."

Seymour's smile quickly changed to a frown. They hadn't remembered his birthday either. "Thanks, ladies," he said, hanging his head.

"Hey Seymour, cheer up! You've got so many good things coming your way, you ought a' be havin' some fun now," Ronnette said reassuringly.

"I guess so," he answered with his head still turned away from them.

Ronnette shrugged and the girls moved on after saying their goodbyes, leaving poor Seymour all alone.

"I guess… nobody remembered." He thought aloud.

* * *

It was now five-forty five PM, or fifteen minutes until closing time for Mushnik's Skid Row Florists. A few customers were taking some last minute purchases to Mr. Mushnik at the counter while Seymour watered Audrey II for the third time that day.

"Boy, you've sure got one strange and interesting plant there!" the last customer of the day complemented Seymour before leaving with a bouquet in his hands.

"Thank you, sir," Seymour answered emotionlessly.

Mr. Mushnik flipped the shop sign from open to closed, then turned and said to Seymour, "I'm closin' early tonight. We've had a pretty good day, eh Krelborn?"

Seymour simply nodded in response.

Suddenly the shop bells rang from behind Seymour and he heard the faint sound of high-heeled shoes daintily hitting the linoleum. Without even turning around to look, he knew what that meant and said, "Audrey?"

The blonde shop hand stepped toward her co-worker with freshly bruised wrists and a black eye. "Hi Seymour," she said quietly, seemingly ashamed of herself.

"Audrey! You're so late that we've already closed!" Mushnik blared at her before he noticed her injuries. "Oh God, what happened to you this time?"

"Nothin' sir," she replied, turning away from both of them shortly. "I would a' called in sick, but I couldn't get my hands untied this time. I'm okay now though."

Mr. Mushnik shook his head. "So, why are you here then?" he asked.

"Oh, well, I couldn't forget how important today is," she answered, looking over at Seymour expectantly.

Seymour did not catch Audrey's kindness and was fed up with talking to people for that day, so he replied with sarcasm, "Yep, Audrey Two's a month old, and we've been makin' a truckload. Things couldn't be better."

"Seymour," Audrey said smiling sweetly. "Did you forget that today's your own birthday?"

"Y, y… you remembered?" he asked, shocked and overjoyed.

"Of course I did," she answered. "That's what I came here for. Here's a little somethin' I picked up for ya." She handed him a brown paper bag with ribbons on it.

"A present?" Seymour blurted while looking at the package. "Oh Audrey, you're the best!"

"What else are friends for?" she replied. "Now open it, silly!"

Seymour could barely hold the bundle in his hands without shaking. He took the ribbons off carefully, so as not to destroy the precious present, then reached inside and found a bow tie covered in tacky polka-dots. Mr. Mushnik clucked in his throat like a chicken at the present, but Seymour didn't care. After all, it was a gift from Audrey.

"Gee," Seymour breathed, smiling. Then he felt something else inside the bag and pulled out a box of bandages before staring at them confoundedly.

"Those are for you too," Audrey said. "You've been getting hurt so much lately, I just wanted to be sure you had enough band aides on hand. And by the way, happy birthday Seymour." She then did something nobody was expecting; she gave Seymour a tiny kiss on the cheek. Perhaps that had been the best gift of all, because Seymour felt so happy about getting that simple kiss that his face turned as red as a rose.

For a long time that night, Seymour said and did nothing but smile. One day he would have to tell Audrey the truth. That undeniable truth that he was crazy about her and wanted to be much more than just her friend would have to be known by the blonde one day, and one day soon, but not today. The present that she had given him was close enough to her love. He knew that life wasn't always great living on Skid Row, but with someone like Audrey as a friend, it couldn't be sweeter.

**The End**


	3. Something New

_Author's Note: This story was created over my Christmas vacation in Yellowstone National Park. It was an experiment in emotion, setting, and foreshadowing, along with creating an origin story for an original character of mine. Enjoy this story, it is very sweet!_

_*S. Snowflake_

* * *

_**Something New**_

_A Little Shop of Horrors Sequel_

_by Laura L.  
_

***

It was such a very cold snowy day in the Greenville suburbs that most of the people who lived in town stayed indoors unless they had to shovel their driveways or when the occasional child went out to play in the fluff. The snow was no longer that nice December blanket that had come at Christmastime, but the cold February annoyance that had long overstayed its welcome. The twilight colors painted the sky with a deep aqua green concealed behind foggy gray storm clouds along with the tinges of pink and scarlet, and all the while the stars played a game of hide and seek with the rising moon. Overall, it was a calm and lovely late winter evening.

The sound of a car's engine penetrated silence of the season when the blue bug found its way to the house planted in the middle of Sunshine Street. It was just like the all of others; small, square, and covered in snow from the lawn, to the trees, to the rooftop, but perhaps more beautiful than the other houses as well. Apart from the snow, not a thing about the house was untidy or undesirable. As quietly as it could be, the little blue car drove into the driveway and ceased to putter before the door handle clicked slowly and a man named Seymour Krelborn stepped out. He was shivering, bundled up as tightly as he could be to fight the cold. His brown hair stuck out from under his baseball cap, frozen in mid air as he walked with slight stiffness to his house and fingered through his keys.

"O-oh, it's-s s-so c-cold-d…" he muttered in a soft voice before stepping in with his teeth chattering and glasses shaking. Inside, the temperature was warm and toasty, just the right temperature for Seymour to fall down on his plastic-coated couch, situate a spot for himself upon it, and snooze for long hours.

Seymour's wife, Audrey Krelborn, poked her head into room from where she had been. She smiled at her husband and then went to his side to hug him and tried feebly to warm him up with her own body heat.

"Hey honey," she said in her squeaky voice. "How'd the job searchin' go ova'?"

Her husband grunted in reply. "Let's just say not too good. Apparently people in Greenville do care if you have a college education or not."

Audrey pulled herself back up from the hug and looked into his eyes compassionately. "Aw honey, you'll find a job soon. We'll be okay until then. Come on, I made some pasta, and I'm starvin'." She walked back into the kitchen area and gestured for her husband to follow.

"Well, when they want the next house payment, then we'll see about the job." Seymour said pessimistically.

"Seymour, sometimes you gotta have a little faith in these things," she replied in a soft and almost motherly voice.

Despite his present dilemma, Seymour smiled. Having a caring wife almost compensated for the fact that he had lived his life as an orphan without a loving parental figure. He observed her orderly performing the tasks she did when preparing every meal of placing their two plates, two glasses, two forks, and two spoons on the table before bringing the entrée forward. Tonight only one thing interrupted her lightning fast routine, and that was when she snatched up a magazine on the table. Seymour caught the words, "First time parent? We've got great suggestions!" on the cover before sitting down and spooning out a portion of dinner for himself and one for Audrey.

The night's meal was spaghetti with a rich tomato and basil sauce. It was delicious; some of Audrey Krelborn's best cooking. Audrey could not help but be a little gluttonous, eating hastily enough for the tomato sauce to form a red ring around her lips. Seymour chuckled in his throat about that all throughout the meal, but he did not have the heart to tell his wife how ridiculous she looked. After finishing their dinner, the Krelborns shared the duty of dishwashing before TV hour and then bedtime.

"Oh, I'm stuffed!" Audrey said, putting her hand over her belly. "-Hope I don't pay for that t'morra' morning, but I just got so hungry!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, the throwing up thing," Seymour said, slightly uncomfortable at the thought of his wife being sickly again. For the past few weeks, Audrey had been vomiting almost every other morning at nearly the same time, and it was beginning to worry Seymour. He convinced her earlier that week to visit the doctor, and the appointment had been that day.

"So, how was the visit to the doc today?" he asked Audrey.

Audrey stopped scrubbing her plate for a second, then smiled and continued, "The docta' says I'm fine. He told me that the throwin' up is normal."

"What? That doctor's a quack, Audrey! I mean, if you're sick like that, something must be wrong."

Audrey shut her eyes calmly, and then pushed her plate into the dishwasher. "It's normal for my condition, honey."

"_Condition?"_ Seymour asked, suddenly quite alarmed. "Audrey, what's goin' on? You're hiding something from me aren't you?"

Audrey made a more throaty laugh, and then walked to the other side of the kitchen without looking at her husband's face, picking up the magazine that she had left behind and gently stroked it, as if it were alive. At last she asked him, "Did you eva' want to have kids someday, Seymour?"

Seymour paused, now horribly confused and caught off guard. "Well, um, sure I guess. I mean, if you wanted to…" He shook his head and went back to washing the dishes without looking back. His wife just loved to distract him from the point, and he was in no mood for games. "Audrey, what's that got to do with this?"

Audrey looked up from her magazine and silently tiptoed to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and putting her face just behind his ear. "Because," she whispered, as if the house were a spy. "-We're going to have a baby, Seymour."

Seymour's hand completed one more rotation of cleaning his plate before he dropped it into the sink with a clank, then turning around to look at her with wide, shocked eyes. "Audrey… you're…?"

"Mm-hm," Audrey answered, grinning.

"So then I'm… I'm gonna be a dad, Audrey?"

"Mm-hm!" she replied, trying to contain herself.

Seymour took an intense interest in Audrey's eyes at that moment, full of truth and happiness just bursting to escape at the seams. She was going to have a baby… _their_ baby. Seymour had once believed that he had seen all of the amazing things that could happen between he and his wife. From their first kiss on that fire escape back in the city to their arrival at their little paradise-like house, their life together seemed complete, but now something new was happening. And this something brought out an enormous smile that spread from one side of Seymour's face to the other.

"Oh Audrey, I… I don't know what to say!" he choked out, smiling.

"Oh Seymour!" Audrey chirped before hugging him tightly and wiping a tiny tear from her eye with her free hand. Finally she let go, realizing that she was choking her husband who had the relative strength of a Q-tip.

"Th-this is huge!" Seymour exclaimed when he found his breath again. He looked at his wife's stomach area, still in disbelief of what was growing inside. "I mean… Audrey! How long have you been? When's it coming? Is it gonna be a boy or a girl? Tell me! Tell me!"

"Shh, shh!" Audrey hushed Seymour, laughing at his child-like response. "One question at a time, honey. Let's see, well, the baby's only about a month on its way now, so eight more months from February is um… Octoba'. The baby should come in Octoba'! I don't know if it's a boy or a girl, but-" Another tear twinkled in her eye before she leapt forward and hugged Seymour again. "-Aw, Seymour, I'm so happy!"

Seymour kept his smile and embraced his wife softly yet with great compassion. "Me too, Audrey," he replied and kissed her cheek a few short times before squeezing her slightly tighter. Seymour knew only three words that he could, and did, add to that.

"I love you."

**The End**


	4. Baby Kick

_Author's Note: After finishing the short, "Something New", I realized something: I had not resolved Seymour's job problem. Being that now he and Audrey would have a baby, I felt that I should tie up that loose end and give a little more insight on their lives before I introduced my original character here. This is truly a short of shorts, just meant for such. Also, I've recently begun quoting musicals and stories in my fan fictions, so I thought it would be fitting to add one here._

_*S. Snowflake  
_

* * *

_**Baby Kick**_

_A Little Shop of Horrors Sequel_

_by Laura L.**  
**_

It was a calm day in the Krelborn household on Sunshine Street. Audrey Krelborn, the lady of the house, was busy cooking and cleaning as she tried to keep herself from bending too far forward. She was six months pregnant with she and her husband's first child now, and her stomach was growing large enough to keep her from working too hard on certain tasks. She smiled faintly after thinking about what she and her husband's new baby would look like, as she often did these days. She imagined a miniature version of herself (a platinum blonde with a tiny voice), for a girl and a miniature version of her husband (a brown-haired clumsy little fellow), for a boy. Of course, she would just have to wait and see whatever was meant to be as far as the child's appearance.

Suddenly, her husband Seymour burst through the front door, panting faintly and smiling his sweet smile. _"T'day is a wonderful day! To-day is a wonderful day…"_ he sang merrily.

"Honey, what is it?" Audrey asked, giggling as she came to the front door.

"Ah, if it isn't my beautiful, brilliant, beautiful Audrey!" Seymour replied before kissing her cheek and spinning her around faintly in a dance.

"Seymour!" she squeaked and laughed as she twirled. As Seymour leaned her toward him after their "tango", she smiled and looked into his eyes.

"Yes?" he asked, looking back into her eyes lovingly.

"-You said beautiful twice." She laughed and stood back up. "Now tell me, what's so wonda' ful?"

Seymour grinned from ear to ear. "You remember how the boss offered a promotion last week?"

"Yeah." She replied, happy to hear that her husband was not feeling depressed about his job. "What about it?"

"I got it! I got it, Audrey! I had to work hard, but I got that promotion!"

Audrey grinned, then hugged her husband. Seymour had been jobless five months ago, and when he finally found one, he was worried about doing well since he had never been anything except a shop hand. Now that they would have a baby to provide for soon, he had more than a reason to be nervous, but Audrey always had faith that he would succeed in his new occupation.

"Aw, honey. I told ya that it'd take a little faith, but things would work out," she whispered, clinging tightly to her husband.

Just as he started hugging her back, an unexpected movement struck Seymour slightly in the stomach area and he backed away, surprised.

Audrey squeaked with her husband's reaction, recognizing the strong baby kick that both she and her husband had felt, then grinned. "Guess the baby's happy that things are working out too," she said before kissing Seymour on the lips.

_* * *_

"_Could it be? Yes it could,_

_Something's coming, Something good…"_

–_West Side Story_


	5. Gently

_Author's Note/Disclaimer: Audrey is my favorite human character from **Little Shop of Horrors**, and so a lot of my fan fictions have to do with her personal feelings about things as I like to add depth to her character. This is why, to me, Audrey's death is the most powerful moment of the musical. I asked myself though, what would she think as she has just learned the truth about Seymour and his murderous secrets before she died? I came to a conclusion that she would compare her relationships with Orin and Seymour, and so I came up with in this sad, but interesting poem. _

_I am going to leave a final warning for those of you who do not read author's notes in bold so that you might see it. **THIS IS PLAYVERSE! IT'S GOING TO BE SAD!**_

_Okay, I'm done. Enjoy!_

_*S. Snowflake._

* * *

_**Gently**_

_A Little Shop of Horrors Poem_

_by Laura L._

_*** * *  
**_

Hold me gently as I fade away,

For I still remember the days,

When we were not one,

And the world was so sad and painful.

*~~*~~*

When he would hold me tight,

I was afraid of the future.

It was not a lovers' hold, no,

It was a torturous grip.

But when you held me, safe and soft,

The world just went away.

It was just we two alone in the shop,

In an embrace so gentle.

*~~*~~*

When he and I were together

The world was like a nightmare.

Everything just flew by on his motorbike,

And I could only hang on tighter.

But when we were together,

Our world was beautiful.

Like a shining star's glow in the night sky,

The world glowed so gently.

*~~*~~*

When he kissed me so fiercely

I felt no heart at all.

Our lips met in a painful lock,

And I felt trapped and small.

But when you kissed me softly

Behind the shop that day,

I felt like I might fly

And all the pain blew away.

Never was a kiss so gentle.

*~~*~~*

Hold me very gently now,

For though I'm numb, I hurt inside.

My heart is yours, my dear Seymour,

As it will be forever.

I'll remember you wherever I go,

For your gentle touch,

I hope that my last gift will be enough before I go…

*~~*~~*

I follow the light,

So gently it glows.


	6. A Different Kind of Flower

_Author's Note: While working on the story following this one as a request for my little sister, I thought of a story idea. I created an original character in my story "Return to Skid Row"; Audrey and Seymour's young daughter. We learn of her baby days through flashbacks and glimpses into the past, but little else. I thought more about Seymour accepting himself becoming a father and what he would say to his daughter, and so this story formed. For those of you meeting my original character for the first time, I hope you like her as much as I do._

_*S. Snowflake_

* * *

_**A Different Kind of Flower**_

***~~*~~***

Seymour Krelborn yawned faintly as he woke up beside his wife. He watched her sleep next to him and listened to her deep, but faint, breathing. It was familiar and peaceful, but the sound of another person's breathing in the room caught him by surprise. It was a soft inhale then exhale of air, and had to have came from a very small person. He carefully put his glasses on and looked across the room toward where he heard the sound, and his eyes fixed upon the baby crib that had sat there, empty save for blankets and such, until yesterday. It all came back to him then; why he and his wife were so tired, why his sleep had been interrupted at least once by a shrill cry, and why there was the sound of snoring in the room. They had a baby now.

Seymour tiptoed quietly over to the crib and peered inside, as if he did not believe that the baby girl lying there existed. Once he saw the infant, so tiny, soft, and snoozing contentedly, he smiled and thought, _Yeah, little Julie. I remember now._

Just as he came over, the baby began to stir and whimper. She wiggled around, trying to right herself, but only became more stressed in the process. Of course Seymour wanted to help her, so he placed gentle hand near the little one's side and tried to make her comfortable. Julie fussed more at first, but after she knew that there was no harm done, she grew quiet again. She opened her eyes and looked up at her father.

"H-hey, Julie," Seymour stuttered, and made sure that his wife was still sleeping behind them. "You okay?"

Something in the baby girl's eyes told him that she was curious. She was not hungry or needed changing again, but she was just looking at him as if she were expectant about something.

"What's the matter? Hey, you know what?" Seymour asked softly before picking the baby up out of the crib while wrapping her tight in her blanket. "I'm going to show you around, Julie girl." He held the one-day-old infant and walked out of he and his wife's bedroom. His hands shook lightly, as if he were afraid that he might drop Julie, but he tried to remain calm about her. He looked into her almost beady, but so lovely, eyes of newborn blue-green. _Julie… I like the sound of that name more and more. _

Seymour first walked down the hall and stopped at the bathroom. "This is the bathroom, Julie," he explained. "You'll, um… _use_ it when you get a little older." He laughed. "Your ma is the one who came up with the idea of a jungle bathroom. See the ferns on the wallpaper, and the elephant toothbrush cup?" Once it seemed that Julie understood, he stepped back out into the hall. "Moving on."

Next they came out of the hall and into the kitchen area. "This is the kitchen. Mama uses it to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner." He chuckled and whispered, "She has her share a' bad luck, and we just go out to eat sometimes. She really is a good cook though." Next he turned around to the dining area. "Okay, here's a very important room. This is where we eat together. Sometimes your ma makes flower arrangements on the table here and we eat in the family room. You're too small to eat the food we eat now, but that'll change. You'll sit down here with us and have all kinds a' good stuff to eat."

His eyes traveled next to the screen door, which led to the backyard. He opened the door with a small creak, and then poked his head out. "This is the back yard. It's a lot smaller than the front yard." He stepped onto the flagstone pavement and tilted his arms forward just slightly so that the baby could see. "In the summertime, we have barbeques out here. Your Mama helps me a lot. I'm no good with food... or just about anything. We were thinking of putting in a small swing out here for when you can use a swing. Maybe we could put a doghouse out here too, if we ever get a dog. I don't know, would you like a pet dog, Julie?" he asked the baby who seemed to smile in response. "Anyway, mostly all we do is come out here and talk sometimes. It'd be boring for you, just Mama and Daddy stuff."

Seymour turned around and went back into the house. He looked back into the baby's eyes that were fading tiredly before going into the family room. "This is a very important room, Julie. This is where we sit down together on the couch after dinner. Sometimes we put on the radio and sing to the music, but we sing all the time even without it. Your ma has a beautiful singing voice, and I sing all right too. Sometime soon we'll show ya. Now the other thing we like to do is watch TV." He pointed to the tiny television set across the way. "Your ma's crazy about I Love Lucy, but I like gardening shows and things like that. That way I learn even more about plants. Speaking of which…" He walked out of the family room and to the front door.

The green grass of the front lawn sparkled in the sunlight, and the tree just past the fence spread a faint shadow over the lawn. Just near the house in the driveway sat a little blue 1957 Volkswagon bug.

"That's our car; the thing we took you home in," Seymour pointed out. "I take it to work every morning. The only reason I'm here today is to help take care of you and let your ma get some rest. I stay here all day on Sunday though, and then I can get to know you better. Who knows? Maybe we could take the car for a spin."

Next, Seymour stepped onto the grass and walked across the lawn toward the front gate. Julie whined when a touch of wind brushed her cheek, but Seymour smiled and rocked her slightly to console her. "It's only a little wind, Julie girl. It happens outside. You'll get used to it."

He stopped at the front picket fence near the mailbox and the flowerbed. "These are plants, or to be exact, they are perennial flowers. It's important to remember to take care of them because if you don't they won't be here. It's kind a' like…" He thought for a second, then heard a small yawn from the blanket bundle in his arms and saw that Julie had closed her eyes and was falling asleep.

"-Kind a' like taking care of you, Julie girl. But you're a different kind of flower." He then shook his head warmly. "Well, guess it's time you go back inside since you're tired. My arms are getting numb anyway."

Seymour walked back across the lawn with his tiny daughter in his arms and into the house. He tiptoed back down the hall, trying not to wake his wife from her well-deserved slumber. Once he reached Julie's baby crib, he put the little girl back inside. She yawned again, then curdled up into the blankets and started to fall asleep. Her primitive actions somehow made Seymour overjoyed.

"Maybe later I'll show you the rest, Julie," he whispered before trying to walk out of the room.

"What were ya' doing with the baby, Seymour?" a high-pitched voice asked that made Seymour half-jump. It was the voice of Audrey, his wife and the subject of the "your ma this or that" throughout the tour. When he turned around, her green eyes looked into his own, and he caught how truly tired and protective of Julie she was.

"I was just showing her the house and I told her about us too," Seymour answered and sat down at the foot of the bed. "Gee, I still don't believe it."

"Don't believe what, Seymour darling?" Audrey asked tiredly in a calm whisper.

"I'm a dad, that's what I don't believe. Back on Skid Row, I never would a' thought I'd have a kid someday, Audrey. And when you were gonna have her, I was scared cause, well… you know, I didn't really have a mom and dad." Seymour frowned and looked at his feet. He had no idea who his biological father was, and all that he had left of his mother was a note that told the Skid Row Home for Boys that if anything was wrong with him that they could blame her because she drank while she was pregnant with him. Such was the life of a Skid Row orphan.

"Aw, Seymour," Audrey squeaked, trying to make him feel better. "It doesn't matta' who ya' parents were, rememba'? I love you all the same. And all our Julie needs to know from you is that you care about her."

"Oh Audrey, are you kiddin'? Of course I care about her. Gosh, I love her already," Seymour said before sitting beside his wife on the bed. "She didn't cry when I showed her around or anything, she just let me talk. For once I didn't mess up!" He smiled and put his arm around his wife's shoulder. "I think Julie will really like it here."

Audrey smiled back and kissed Seymour's cheek faintly from her own fatigue. "Yeah, and she already loves her daddy."

*~~*~~*


	7. Roses are Red, Weddings are White

_Author's Note: I wrote this short as a request from my sister, also known as the Ghost Peacock on deviantart. It is the "missing portion" in the Little Shop of Horrors musical film, Seymour and Audrey's wedding. I have to thank her for being my ever faithful beta reader, so here's a little "reward", you might say. I admit, also, to taking the title from lyrics used in the cut song "We'll Have Tomorrow". In this cut love duet, Seymour and Audrey sing, "Roses are red, love, weddings are white..." I like this song a lot, and I really wish I could hear a re-done version rather than the all-male demo.  
_

_*S. Snowflake_

* * *

_**Roses are Red, Weddings are White**_

**-by Laura L**

* * *

"_Marry me, Audrey," the man with the glasses quickly blurted._

"Seymour this is… so sudden!" the blond girl exclaimed in visible shock as she stood across from him.

"_Well, will ya?"_

_There was a long pause between the lovers. The girl looked down at her feet, as if she were questioning the path that she was taking, and then she looked back into his desperate, but honest, gray eyes. He would marry her, and take good care of her if she said yes. Deep in her heart, she knew that was what she wanted all along. _

_She smiled radiantly and replied with a quiet, "Sure."_

_Seymour grinned widely. "That's it then! We'll go get married, right now! Tonight, if you want to."_

_Audrey's eyes lit up, and it seemed that they were shining green orbs for a moment as she hugged Seymour tightly. "Oh Seymour!"_

* * *

Those words revolved in Audrey's head a few times as she sat in front of the mirror, brushing her platinum blond hair. It was funny that Seymour had proposed to her without kneeling to the ground or bearing a ring as she envisioned her future husband would do so romantically. Then again, their relationship was far from traditional in how it was forged and simply what sort of people they were by social standards, but something foolish like their stereotypes as a beauty and a nerd could be forgotten when they were protected by love. However, Audrey could hardly take time to think about the sentimental values of romance as she combed her hair with fury.

"Stop messin' up your hair, Audrey. You look beautiful," Audrey's friend and bridesmaid Chiffon snapped and complemented in duality. She stood by her friends Crystal and Ronnette in the back of Audrey's apartment, all three wearing identical pink bridesmaid dresses.

Audrey paused and put down the purple hair comb at last. "Really Chiffon?" she asked in her helium tone. "Do you really think I look like a bride?" She looked at her face again. "Ooh, maybe just a little more makeup and…"

"Don't you touch that stuff!" Crystal interjected. "You look fine. If you put on any more a' that, you'd look all wrong."

Audrey chuckled, stood up and walked over to her closet where her wedding dress was hanging. She thought that she would be getting married the night when Seymour proposed, but that horrific flytrap Audrey II had changed those plans. She had to admit that it had not been the smartest choice on her part to walk over to the blood-eating monster and try to give it water just because it asked her sweetly, but it had an unmistakable power that made people do strange and often terrible things. The monster had her pulled her into its great, toothy pod in no time at all, and thus ruined her dress as it tried to eat her. Thankfully, good seemed more powerful than evil, as Seymour rescued her before the plant's teeth had torn through the more tough parts of her dress such as the pillow-like ruffles and heavily beaded torso. This gown that had (in that sense), helped save her life was all repaired now, and looked possibly prettier than it had before.

Only Audrey knew the story of the dress' original owner and why she wanted so desperately to save it after that night. It once belonged to her sister Julia, but her groom got a case of cold feet and left her at the altar on their supposed wedding day. It was unfortunate that Julia had never lived long enough to find a man that would love her too. The poor girl died when a car hit her, and so the dress belonged to her sister.

Audrey paused for a minute, but forced herself to put that painful thought out of her mind for the moment and stroked one of the dress' ruffles. "Do you girls mind helping me put this on? I'm worried I might not fit after I got it repaired," she said.

Crystal, Chiffon, and Ronnette nodded. "Sure thing."

As her friends assisted her in putting on the lovely white gown, Audrey decided to not reflect on anything at all except for her relationship with Seymour. That was what kept her going; that she was truly loved by someone. Once the bad reflections disappeared, dream-like visions began appearing in her head. She knew that she would not have to live in this miserable part of the city any longer. There was always that little fantasy that flickered in her mind: Having a nice warm house to just she and Seymour. A life that didn't involve the horrid discomforts of being practically a whore at the Gutter or being a sadistic dentist's punching bag. Maybe they might one day raise a family together. The ideas seemed so wonderful that she almost felt as if she did not deserve this immense dream come true. _This is how it's supposed to be,_ she tried to convince herself. _This is how you're supposed to feel today._

* * *

The church stood alone and dilapidated in Skid Row. It was a humble place to say the least. The church was hardly any better on the inside with the main beam in the chapel broken long ago after the fine bark rotted away. The sole pastor walked around in the chapel and shook his head at a wino sleeping in the back of the room, then headed into the room behind the altar with a cough. His eyes fixed upon a young man with his brown hair combed as best as it could be and bulgy black glasses resting on his face. This man would be getting married today, and seemed just as nervously excited as anyone would be, if not more so. The young man toyed with his pink carnation corsage, plucking at the petals to encourage their showiness.

"Are you ready to start, Seymour?" the pastor asked with his raspy voice that made Seymour jump a little.

"O-oh, um, yes sir," Seymour replied after regaining his air. "You know she's comin' then?"

"Yeah, her friend Crystal ran down a minute ago. Come on, we don't have time to talk. Let's get this over with."

Seymour chewed his lip silently and his hands twitched as he followed the pastor. He did not frankly like his tone, but it did not matter to him. What was one more Skid Row jerk on his last day in this horrible side of town anyway? All that mattered now was living in the moment. He took in the scene of the old church with dappled appreciation and shame. This was not the grand, romantic wedding he had hoped to give Audrey. Far from it. The broken beam was the main accent of the old church, but also the shattered windows and dusty, twisted organ pipes made up a macabre scene. Still, he and Audrey had done the best that they could to make their wedding memorable. In each window sat an arrangement of lilies, mums, and other flowers along with the traditional altar arrangements, all of which were white.

Seymour recalled something his boss Mr. Mushnik had said about arrangements that pleased customers, _"Roses are red, weddings are white. Learn it Krelborn and yeh'll be all right."_

Seymour smiled at that thought. Flowers were, in a way, what brought he and Audrey together, being that they worked in the same flower shop, and so they should have an important role in this big day. Today would be a celebration of love, but tomorrow was a somewhat intimidating prospect. It frightened Seymour at only age twenty-four to be making this decision, but he would follow his heart, and his heart belonged to Audrey.

Presently, the sound of the old organ's music rang through the church and snapped Seymour out of his reverie. He covered his ears with his hands and shook his head from side to side. Once the great instrument had finally tuned up, the pastor began to play a tune that Seymour remembered as "Here Comes the Bride" and the church doors opened. Chiffon entered first in her sparkling pink dress, followed by Crystal and Ronnette. They all looked quite attractive and lovely as they walked coolly to the side of the altar opposite Seymour holding their white bouquets, but nothing could quite compare to what came next. There she was, an angel in a white wedding gown, slowly advancing toward him. Even beneath the veil, Seymour could see those stunning green eyes looking back into his. She was lovelier than the loveliest lily and prettier than the prettiest petunia. She was really only one describable word: beautiful.

At first, Seymour felt that he must have been in the next life, but then reality came back to him. This beautiful flower was Audrey, and there was a reason for her wonderful attire. Nothing bad could come across his mind then, and he smiled shyly as she stepped up the stairs and took his hand for a moment. They both made a chuckle of utter astonishment, and then turned to the pastor that was still playing the organ for them.

The pastor coughed bitterly and hopped off of the seat to come toward the couple. They watched him hobbling about as if he was ready to keel over, and Audrey smelled cigarettes on his robe. Once he cleared his throat again, he opened a Bible and began reading a passage. "Friends, we are gathered here today to witness the union of this man and this woman in marriage." He coughed shortly and shook his head again. "Pardon," he wheezed out. "Ahem, may the Lord bless…"

Both Audrey and Seymour stared at the gasping pastor with respect, but slight disgust. Skid Row life was anything but classy, so they should have known that their wedding service would be no different.

Seymour's hand began to shake involuntarily. Audrey noticed and took a hold of it, instantly relaxing him with her touch. They smiled at each other. Everything worked when they were together. The two of them just fit. When they looked at each other, their eyes spoke for them, and no verbal communication was necessary.

_Are you nervous too? _Audrey's eyes asked.

_A little._

Audrey glanced down at her feet and then back at Seymour. The message clearly said, _We don't have to do this._

Seymour smiled and looked back at her. _But I want to._

Audrey's eyes lit up. _Really?_

Seymour chuckled in his throat and whispered, "I love you."

The pastor then began another coughing fit, and one of the girls grunted in disgust. After nearly passing out from an asthma relapse, he asked in a half gasp, "Audrey Fulquard, do you take Seymour to be your husband?"

Audrey beamed beneath her veil and said, "I do."

The pastor nodded and turned to Seymour. "And do you, Seymour Krelborn, take Audrey to be your wife?"

Seymour looked back into Audrey's eyes one more time and knew his answer before he said it, "I do."

"And the rings?" the pastor wheezed.

The couple looked to each other and pulled out small chrome rings from their pockets before placing them on the other's finger. They both laughed slightly when Seymour scrambled to keep from dropping his ring, but luckily, everything went fairly smooth.

The pastor waited for a little while and continued, "I now pronounce this couple husband and wife." He looked to Seymour as if he were teaching a young schoolboy. "You may kiss the bride."

Seymour grinned before turning over Audrey's veil and gently wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her close for a kiss. It was not very long or exceedingly passionate, but enough to express what both of them were feeling. They heard few sounds locked in their kiss, but they did catch the clapping of their friends Crystal, Chiffon, and Ronnette, and the wino in the back stirring awake with a start and falling into drunken sleep again. The coughs of the pastor, however, were ignored. At last, the couple walked down the aisle hand in hand and out the doors. Crystal, Chiffon, and Ronnette followed them, and the church was silent once more

The pastor smiled. "Anotha' happy couple," he thought aloud, then looked over at the snoring wino in the back and sighed. "I need a cigarette."

* * *

"Good luck, you two," Ronnette said to her friends as they walked over to their wedding carriage: a cutely clunky 1957 blue Volkswagon bug that Seymour had found.

"Aw, thanks," Audrey replied and hugged all three of her friends. "And thank you for, well, everything you've done for us." She smiled at Seymour who stood beside her. "We're really gonna miss you girls, aren't we Seymour darling?"

Seymour nodded shyly before answering, "Sure are."

"Yeah, we'll miss you both too," Chiffon replied and tried to hide a small tear in her eye to be the tough girl she was. She indicated to the other girls that they would be leaving. "Well, hope that house a' yours is what you're lookin' for."

"You deserve it," Crystal added.

The newly established Krelborn couple smiled and agreed with their friends. The girls said some last goodbyes and started to walk away. Suddenly, Audrey squeaked loudly to catch the girls' attention. "I almost forgot, catch!" she said.

She threw her bouquet of white flowers to her friends and they all fought over who would catch it. Ronnette and Chiffon tried to knock each other down while Crystal cunningly leaned over both of them and caught the bouquet in one hand. Once she did that, the other two girls smirked and tackled their friend, smashing the arrangement to mere fragments of what it once had been in the process.

Audrey giggled, then sighed at her bridesmaids. "What are ya gonna do?"

"Not to interrupt, Mrs. Krelborn, but your ride awaits," Seymour told Audrey.

Audrey did not respond at first, but then thought over his words and realized that she _was_ Seymour's wife now. As she climbed into the passenger seat, she muttered, "Audrey Krelborn… I like it."

Seymour started the car and it puttered slightly. "I hoped you would."

Audrey leaned over and kissed her new husband's cheek. "So, where are we headed next, Seymour honey?" she asked childishly.

Seymour had barely recovered his composure from that surprise peck on the cheek, but it had given him a boost so-to-speak. "I'll tell ya' where. It's goodbye Skid Row and hello the rest of our lives!" he declared.

The little blue bug rumbled as Seymour drove it out of the space and started driving on the road. Audrey waved one last time to her friends and they waved back longingly. It occurred to Audrey that she might never see these friends ever again, and that made her dreadfully sad, but she looked over at Seymour and remembered the path that she was taking and who she was taking it with. With steady puttering, the car traveled beneath the shadows of the great skyscrapers and toward the sun moving westward overhead. The home that Audrey and Seymour had always hoped for was just beyond the horizon, but what they were truly embarking on was the start of their new life together. This white wedding marked the beginning of a new adventure.

**The End**

_For The Ghost Peacock, Respectively._


	8. Happiness Drabbles

_Author's Note: This was my first experiment in writing drabbles in addition to shorts for these package stories. The usual way I come up with these drabbles is by putting my ipod on shuffle and using my imagination to write these small ideas. Some of these ideas end up becoming a short or an element of a fan fiction while others simply stay drabbles. I have put which song I was listening to at the time of writing below each drabble along with the artist/singer. Enjoy!_

_* S. Snowflake_

_

* * *

  
_

_**Happiness Drabbles**_

**Love Garden**

_Inspired by the song, "If I Didn't Have You" _

_Artists: Mitchell Musso and Emily Osment from Disney Mania 6_

Seymour and Audrey danced around their little dream house. They had just put in a new couch, and they celebrated their accomplishment with a sweet dance. They truly loved each other, and acted as if the whole world would be their love garden. When both of them thought about it, they wouldn't be complete if they didn't have each other. They belonged as a pair.

* * *

**Happiness**

_Inspired by the song "Happiness" from __**You're a Good Man Charlie Brown**_

_Arists: You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown Original Cast_

"Mama, what was livin' in Skid Row like?" little Julie Krelborn asked her mother one day.

"Well, it was sometimes really rough livin' there, sweetie," Audrey remarked. "Sometimes I thought I'd neva' be happy on Skid Row."

"Are ya' happy now, Mama?"

Audrey grinned. "Of course I'm happy." She pecked her daughter's cheek and then hugged her. "I'm happy as long as I can love you."

* * *

**Valiant Heroes**

_Inspired by the Song, "Find Your Grail" from __**Spamalot**_

_Artists: Spamalot, Original Broadway Cast Recording_

Young Audrey liked listening to stories, but none so much perhaps as the Knights of the Round Table. They all seemed to be such valiant heroes, all prancing off on horseback to some grand quest or to find the holy grail of legend. They knew their path; and they pursued it. If only she knew what path she would take and where it would lead her someday. She knew that if she tried though, she could do anything; fly to the moon, go on grand adventures of her own... just like they did.

* * *

**Somewhere That's Green**

_Inspired by the song, "Somewhere That's Green" from Little Shop of Horrors_

_Artist: Ellen Greene_

After enduring another abusive date, Audrey sat hunched on her bed and began to perform her past time; thinking about Seymour and that happy place she always dreamed of. No matter how chronically domestic it seemed, she wanted that life. She wanted to be the wife of Seymour, the mother of his children even. She could see it all again as she rubbed her fresh bruise and relaxed a little; her holding the baby safe in the crook of her arm and singing that very same song...


	9. Tonight Drabbles

_Author's Note: There is little to say about this set of drabbles except that they have inspired some things. The drabble entitled "The Kite" was my starting inspiration for the short story "Like Father, Like Daughter" in my second **Little Shop of Horrors** collection, and I illustrated the drabble called "Crisp, Aging Mushnik" for deviantart. Once again, enjoy!_

_*S. Snowflake_

* * *

_**Tonight Drabbles**_

**Tonight**

_Inspired by the song, "Tonight Quintet" from __**West Side Story**_

_Artists: West Side Story, Original West End Cast Recording_

There were always those terrifying days on Skid Row that Seymour regretted living through during his childhood. Sometimes he just saw them, the older and more threatening boys that would enjoy bullying him very much if they could catch him. Thank God he was a skinny kid and could run from most of them, but he remembered once walking into one of their meetings and being shoved and punched around their gang circle before being thrown inside a dumpster. When he finally headed back to the home, he was bruised and beaten...

* * *

**Crisp, Aging Mushnik**

_Inspired from the song, "Suppertime" from Little Shop of Horrors_

_Artists: Little Shop of Horrors Original Cast Recording_

Audrey II watched the boy closely with a toothy plant grin. It knew that its meal would be coming soon. It couldn't wait to feast on that crisp, aging Mushnik. All it would take to end the struggle were a few decisive chomps...

* * *

**The Kite**

_Inspired by the song, "The Kite" from __You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown_

_Artist: Anthony Rapp_

"Come on, Daddy!" Julie urged her father. "Make it fly!"

"Don't think I'm not trying, Julie girl," Seymour replied, trying to make his daughter's kite fly at the Greenville Park. It was a surprisingly challenging task he realized...

* * *

**So Right**

_Inspired by the song, "Come on Get Higher" _

_by Matt Nathanson_

As they walked along together, Seymour and Audrey forgot the world altogether. They just wanted each other. When Audrey saw something of interest, she pointed it out to Seymour, and he would laugh along too. Even if he had secretly taken advantage of her lack-of-sadist boyfriend to get her, he just forgot all the bad in her arms. When they finally stopped at her apartment, she pulled him close and kissed him passionately, and naturally he kissed her back. She hugged him tightly and whispered, "I feel so right now."

* * *

**A Singer**

_Inspired by the song, "Grow for Me" from the Little Shop of Horrors_

_Artist: Hunter Foster_

Seymour discovered that he was actually a decent singer after Audrey barged into the back from hearing him sing to his plant "friends". (He called them friends since he had no real ones).

"Seymour, was that you singin'?" she asked him blankly.

"Um, um, oh yeah. I'm sorry, I just can't help myself."

"Don't be sorry. You have a talent with ya' voice. I came in 'cause I thought you sounded great," she smiled. "I really liked it."

* * *

**More!**

_Inspired by the Act 1 Finale from Little Shop of Horrors_

_From the Little Shop of Horrors New Broadway Cast Recording_

Audrey II waited in the dark shop before Seymour came in with the bucket full of body parts splotched with blood.

"FEED ME!" it shrieked before the boy pulled a severed hand out and tossed it inside its pod before looking away disgusted with himself and the blood all over his arms. The plant didn't care though, and continued to cry, "More, more!!"


	10. Audrey's Death

_Author's Note: This is the last story in the collection. It deals with Audrey's death scene, as did "Gently", but is more direct. It was sort of a spurn of the moment story, but something good all the same. I used song quotes from "Without You" (a song from the musical Rent), "Somewhere That's Green", "Stand By Me", and "You'll be in my Heart" (from the movie Tarzan). I do not own any of those songs, no matter how much I wish I did._

_And with this story, I must bid you adieu. Thanks for reading these stories!_

_*S. Snowflake_

* * *

_**Audrey's Death Song Fic**_

*** * ***

The boy with big black glasses flurried to pull the blonde girl out of the monstrous plant's mouth as it chewed on her torso a few horrid times. The girl came loose after awhile, but the boy swore that he had just seen a spot of blood on her side. He prayed that his glasses had betrayed him. With a last beat at the plant's thick pod, he got the girl out. He had just saved her life, but he knew deep down something was wrong.

"Everything's gonna be okay. Everything's gonna be okay…" he kept muttering to the girl. "Audrey, are you all right?" he asked at last when they were a safe distance from the monster.

"Yes!" she replied with a big smile, then grimaced and covered up the spot of blood on her side. "N-no…" Then she lied down on the floor, crumpled over. The boy came to her side and tried to hold her for her comfort, and she whispered, "Seymour…"

"You're gonna be fine. Y-you can't die," he said to her. "I need you."

But as Audrey lay there, huddled in his arms, Seymour knew that she was fading away. It was like watching a flower slowly wilt in the heat of the burning sun. To Seymour, Audrey was much more than just a flower. Without her his life meant nothing.

_Life goes on, but I'm gone_

_'Cause I'd die without you…_

She asked him questions about the monster plant Audrey II that she had just learned apparently spoke and ate humans. It pained him to answer, but at the same time, he knew that it was right.

Then she said something that shocked poor Seymour.

"When I die, which should be very shortly, give me to the plant! That way it'll grow bigger and stronga', and you'll get all the wonda' ful things you deserve."

"Please, don't. You don't know what you're saying," Seymour replied, and held back the tears starting to fog up his glasses. There just had to be hope that she would be okay, and they would still have tomorrow. Even as she made her last wishes to him he prayed, _Stay with me. Please stay with me..._

_Oh don't you see, finally I'll be_

_Somewhere that's Green…_

But alas, Audrey did die. So gracefully did Seymour's flower wilt that he barely felt death's presence when it took her away. It was soft and passive, as if she were nothing but a drifting cloud floating away. The whole thing was so sudden and absurd that Seymour almost believed it was not real at all. He held her body close, and thought of everything they had been together. From the first day he watched her come into the shop he loved her. She had been his sweet and wonderful best friend for the past year that she had been working at Mushnik's, and when he finally told her how he felt, it was the most beautiful time of his life. They were like kids, frolicking around in their love. Now all of those sweet kisses, embraces, dances, and dreams were gone forever.

_Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me?_

_Oh won't you stand by me?_

_Oh darling, stand by me…_

As he watched her slowly descend into Audrey II's great plant abyss, Seymour reached for her hand one last time. Everything that they had been was gone now, and all he had left were memories of it. The most beautiful and rare of flowers in his world was dead, but he would always remember the color and wonder that she had given his life.

_You'll be in my heart_

_No matter what they say_

_You'll be here in my heart_

_Always_.

**The End**


End file.
